Rome Ramirez Has Only One Skill: “I Have To Make Music Or I’m In Trouble”

For 24-year-old Rome Ramirez, being picked to front legendary Long Beach ska-rock outfit Sublime was nothing less than a dream come true. Counting the late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell among his biggest musical influences alongside the likes of Bad Brains, Nirvana and the Beastie Boys, Ramirez has successfully integrated into the band, paying tribute to the memory of Nowell but also forging a whole new chapter in the Sublime saga.

Music hooked Ramirez at a young age, with the Bay Area native picking up his first guitar at the tender age of 11. It was a discovery that today he says saved his life.

“I kind of have to make music, man,” he said during an exclusive interview with CBS Local. “I get to not go to Starbucks anymore and work there. I have to make music. It’s all I know how to do. I’m like really bad at everything else. I’ve tried. I’ve had a million jobs. I’m so bad in the real world. Making music is all I’ve got. I have to do it well or else I’m in trouble.”

When asked the worst job he’s ever had, Ramirez didn’t hesitate for a moment before answering.

“I’ve done a lot, trust,” he replied. “Staples was really boring. I’d rather be roofing than stuck inside Staples organizing desk chairs, just praying that people would come in and ask me something about anything. They’d usually be like, ‘I’m just looking.’ I was like, ‘me too. ‘”

Having wrapped a summer of touring with Sublime and a slew of like-minded bands including Cypress Hill and Pepper, Rome recently released his first solo EP, Dedication. About to launch into his first solo tour, his first stop is in Vegas at the Surrender nightclub, September 20. Tickets are now available through RomeMusica.com.